I like to sidewalk walk a lot. It keeps me fit and sexy. It keeps me from tripping into the gutter and chipping a tooth. It keeps from getting hit by speedings cars with drivers too busy texting to pay attention to someone on the street.
I guess you could say I have a deep love of sidewalks.
This past weekend I was sidewalk walking in my neighborhood when I stumbled across a side street I was going to have to cross. As I slowed myself to look left and to look right for any cars I happened to look down. And there right before my feet was the following:
And yes, those are my feet, size 10 1/2, in their Reebok sneakers with day-glow green laces observing the message that lay below me.
What was I to do? If this was the end of the sidewalk then what was I going to meet across the street? Was this an omen? Was something deadly waiting for me?
Now I’m not one to be scared of messages scrawled across cement. I know all about graffiti. I’ve seen walks and pavements gang tagged. This was different. The penmanship was crisp and clear and easy to read. The author spelled everything correctly. There was even a period at the end.
This was a strong statement that could not be ignored.
Now I assume you must be thinking I’m insane. Sure I’ve crossed many streets before. Thousands of streets in thousands of neighborhoods, but never was a message written on the sidewalk warning me the sidewalk has ended.
Was this what Nostradamus meant, and was it intended specifically for me?
I could easily have turned around and returned from where I came, but I refused to let a message stop me from going where I needed to go. And I needed to go ASAP. I was getting the shakes,,, the shivers… and a pounding in my head.
I took a deep breath and leaped across the street. And once across the street this is what I saw:
Phew! Nostradamus be damned. It wasn’t the end of my world. I was where the sidewalk starts.
I wiped the sweat from my brow and quickly ran to my destination… The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.
I am Michael hear me roar and nothing — not even a sidewalk warning — comes between me and my coffee.
Comments